Dhaka: Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has been appointed as the country’s 26th Chief Justice. A notification, signed by Law Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, was issued on Tuesday, as per the President’s order.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the notification stated that the President, by virtue of the powers conferred by Article 95 (1) of the Constitution, has appointed Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division as the Chief Justice of Bangladesh. The appointment will come into effect from the date of taking oath. The country’s 25th Chief Justice, Syed Refaat Ahmed, will retire on December 27 upon reaching the retirement age of 67 years as stated in the constitution.
Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury began his legal career by enrolling in the District Judges’ Court in 1985 and became an advocate of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1987. He was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court Division on August 27, 2003, and became a permanent judge two years later. On August 13, 2024, he was elevated to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
Chowdhury completed his LLB (Hons) and LLM degrees from Dhaka University and obtained another Master’s degree in international law from the UK. During his judicial career, Justice Chowdhury participated in international conferences, seminars, training programmes, and courses in various countries, including Belgium (1988), Canada (1990 and 2001), Malaysia (2000, 2002, and 2006), Singapore (2007), and Nepal (2012).